A study from the Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, CNR, Naples, Italy; and Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and General Pathology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy shows that “miR-194-5p/BCLAF1 deregulation in AML tumorigenesis” This study was published in the 20 February 2017 issue of the journal “Leukemia” [One of the best journals in the field of “blood cancer biology” with an I.F of 12 plus] by Prof. Altuci,Dell’Aversana C, and others.

Given that: (i) each year nearly 14 million people are diagnosed with cancer globally, and little more than half of them will die; (ii) cancer deaths globally are expected to be doubled by 2030; (iii) cancer treatment causes the highest economic loss compared to all the known causes of death worldwide; (iv) Acute myeloid leukemia is one of the most predominant leukemias among all adult leukemias; (v) each year about 10, 500 and 2900 new cases of AML are reported in the US and the UK, respectively; (vi) cure rates of AML ranges from 20-45% only, there is an urgent need to find: (i) a way to prevent an individual from being susceptible to cancer by strengthening his/her own immune system (Cancer immunotherapy); (ii) a cheaper alternative to the existing expensive anticancer drugs; (ii) a side-effect-free natural product-based drug; and (iii) a way to effectively treat and prevent metastatic progression and relapse of cancers.

This study suggests a natural product-derived anticancer therapy.Myrtenal, one of the main components of Cardamom, is known to function as an anticancer agent (fig. 1). However, the detailed mechanistic insights is yet to emerge.